Senate Rejects Rand Paul Amendment to Freeze Palestinian Aid Over Hostages, Ties to Hamas
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Senate Democrats voted down an amendment to freeze aid to the Palestinian Authority until hostages held by Hamas are released and the PA renounces the group. The amendment failed 44-50.
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The amendment was proposed by Senator Rand Paul to a short-term spending bill. It would have barred aid until conditions like recognizing Israel and renouncing terrorism were met.
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Paul said "we cannot expect the recipient of aid to change their behavior if America does not demand it." He criticized the PA for not condemning attacks on Israel.
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Senator Ben Cardin spoke against the amendment, saying it's important to ensure a future for the Palestinian people and "help deal with the crisis."
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Earlier this week, Paul was one of two senators who voted for a separate resolution to halt aid to Israel pending a report on whether it committed human rights violations.